Opening A Small Museum? 5 Key Design Elements You Need

Museums are an important part of preserving the history, culture, and knowledge both of the past as well as the future. No matter whether you are creating a small museum to highlight your community's past, to display the art or craft of prior generations, or to teach about how your organization works, the design of that museum is key to reaching those goals.

But few people have ever designed a museum, so you may feel a little overwhelmed by the idea. Where should you begin? Here are just five basic elements to get started on any museum layout.

Museums generally house two types of exhibits. The first and most prominent are permanent exhibits. These are the meat of your museum, and they usually have spaces specially designed to house their artifacts (like bulky equipment or secure displays). The second type is temporary exhibits. Temporary exhibit spaces are neutral and flexible so they can be reconfigured or redecorated as needed.

The items displayed are the reason your museum exists, so they deserve the utmost care. You will likely need to protect artifacts from damaging elements like direct sunlight, moisture, wide temperature variations, pests, natural disasters, and accidents involving your visitors.

Not all museum exhibits need the same levels of protection, though. Less valuable or less unique items might be housed in a simple glass case or placed behind a rope barrier. Historically-valuable artifacts, like fossils or clothing, may need extra levels of safety as well as security from theft or damage. Assess each artifact and assign it a level of protection so you can focus on sensitive items first.

How do you want visitors and staff to move around your museum? Do you want visitors to move through the exhibits in a set order so you can guide them? Or do you wish them to mingle freely and experience things on their own? Will there be busy times when you need people to move along quickly? Do you want to provide places to sit and sketch or talk?

Good traffic flow is often created through proactive design, so think about these goals and needs early in the process.

No matter how small your space is, you will undoubtedly have to house at least some ancillary services. You'll likely need to save room for a reception desk or ticket booth, restrooms, storage facilities, and offices for the museum staff. Some of these items should be placed in very public locations while others should be housed in out of the way spots.

In addition, do you plan to offer items for purchase? Many museums earn additional income and build their brand with a gift shop. And if you're a larger establishment, a cafe or coffee stand could bring in revenue and encourage guests to linger.

Finally, don't forget to make the museum an enjoyable place to visit. Guests should feel welcomed into your space and free to comfortably move from one exhibit to another. Give them a reasonable temperature and prevent unnecessary hot or cold spots (unless these are part of the exhibit). Design rooms to minimize noise pollution from other areas. And provide entertainment for the kids too.

These five basic elements are all most museum buildings need in order to get started. Work with an experienced building designer and contractor to make use of their expertise in coordinating them.

At Cochran Construction Company , we can help. We have provided businesses and organizations with quality design and construction services for more than 30 years. Call today to start work on the ideal building in which your museum can grow and thrive.